Asher Willowhand
Hollow Knight redirects here. The '''Hollow Knight, '''formerly known as '''Asher Willowhand, '''is an NPC operating out of the Wastes. He was only a young boy at the time of his tragic death, but his transformation into a demon gave him a second wind and second chance. Personality Asher was a young and chipper man, and considered a favorite of the people up until his final months. He was renowned for being charitable, and his visage became synonymous with good. As a demon, Asher's personality is unstable. He is generally angry, but manages to stifle his rage enough to hold a conversation. He is loyal to Malladir to a degree, but his commitment does not go much further than their agreement. Biography Early Life During his time as a human, Asher served as the youngest Royal Wizard ever. He began serving his short tenure at the age of sixteen, and was heralded as a talented wizard with a good heart. His father before him served as a Seeker of Light, and bequeathed Asher all of his knowledge of magic. Death Asher was tasked with guarding the Duke of Dolcenoir in a small, lavish city in Caemanu far from his home in the north. He had to do so at the request of Aryden Grimsbane. Asher questioned the motive for guarding a relatively low-profile figure at a dinner party, but obliged nonetheless. An assassin wielding an artifact attacked the dinner he was supposed to guard, luring him away so she could kill her mark. Asher managed to catch the assassin after she had slain the Duke, but was bested in battle. He remained trapped underneath a chandelier as black flames slowly seared his flesh to the inside of his armor. Asher died a slow death in the months to follow, after learning that he was used to bait the assassin into the open. He was called a failure and felt used by Aryden, with his last moments alive spent stewing in intense hatred for Aryden, Luxius, and the assassin that ruined his life. As a Demon Asher's hatred for those who wronged him twisted his soul. He tried to use dark magic to heal himself, but instead plunged him further into abyssal despair. With hatred in his heart and darkness in his soul, he was transformed into a demon at the moment of his death. He regained clarity of thought months after, to find that his anima inhabited the armor that he died in. With this salt in the wound, Asher set out to kill his attacker and Aryden. The Coalescence occurred shortly after his journey began, and Asher was contacted by Malladir. The fellow demon intimated that he knew the identity of the witch that killed him, and recruited Asher to mitigate the damage done by the Coalescence. He began calling himself the Hollow Knight shortly thereafter. Partnered with Malladir and serving as his proxy, the Hollow Knight roams the entire landmass in search of the Wills. He scouts for Malladir, and answers to him. Powers and Abilities The Hollow Knight's anima is unique due to the fact that it is semi-corporeal. Damaging the armor he inabits can disperse his form, but Asher's anima will re-form somewhere else in another derelict suit of armor. He also receives power from Malladir through nebulous means, and Malladir likely helps him re-form if he is defeated in battle. As a result of being bound to armor, Asher cannot use the possession technique employed by other demons. The Hollow Knight's strength waxes and wanes with his rage or lack thereof. If he takes more damage and loses part of his form, he becomes angrier and more unstable. This setback sometimes causes him to wander for great periods of time without reporting back. The knight also has a unique ability to weaponize whatever he touches.